The Damned

Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ

The Damned

May 6 2017

Stone Pony

Asbury Park NJ

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The Best Damned Show...

The Stone Pony has always hosted bands of a great variety. Punk, Rock, Indie, Local and a few big named surprises. I've attended shows on the inside and outside on their Summer Stage. They always attract a crowd!

Being a fan of The Damned since the early 80's I was more than ecstatic when the show was announced. A few days before the show, Captain Sensible fell off the stage at a show and broke a rib. They cancelled quite a few shows and put others off until the end of May, but they didn't cancel ours. I actually felt a bit selfish crossing my fingers that they wouldn't cancel knowing that a member of the band was injured.

When we arrived, a small line had already started to form. It was probably the most eccentric crowd I'd seen in a while. Once the doors opened the majority went straight to the stage. With a bum ankle, I found a neat little section to the left of the stage roped off with seats - the handicapped section.

I started seeing a bigger presence of goth and punk. A young lady with an expertise in being a seamstress approached me wearing a black Victorian dress to comment on my dress. I started feeling like I did when I was a teen and looked forward to going out to the goth bars on the weekends!

When The Damned came through the side door and up onto the stage. Captain Sensible was eased up the steps and escorted to his throne. Yes, they actually had a special toilet with lights coming from it for him to sit on and play in comfort. The crowd went wild! Dave Vanian's gothic spirit, appearance and voice is still as dark and rich as it was when I first heard him.

The electricity from the crowd elevated with each song. By the time they sang "Nasty" the thunderous boom from the crowd singing with the band it felt like the walls were moving!

Dave and the rest of the band had fun picking on the Captain throughout the show, insinuating that he was ready for the retirement facility and calling him plenty of English slang words. It truly was great! After a full set, the band left the stage for a few minutes and then came back for an encore. They truly rocked the house. They

treated the crowded to plenty of their favorites, like "New Rose", "Neat Neat Neat", "Smash it Up" and their cover of Love's "Alone Again Or". In the end, they ventured from their set list, playing both "Nasty" and their cover of "White Rabbit" in the encore.

Their full set list was:I Just Can't Be Happy Today Melody LeeGeneralsDisco ManAlone Again OrLove SongMachine Gun EtiquetteStreet of Dreams, Eloise, IgniteStranger on the TownPlan 9 Channel 7Wait for the BlackoutThe History of the World (Part 1) New RoseNeat Neat NeatNoise Noise NoiseWhite RabbitNastySmash it Up, Anti-Pope, Fan Club

I feel privileged that I got to see them. They were fantastic and transformed The Stone Pony into a punk/goth bar. They also gave me hope for other bands who are doing anniversary tours and I can only wish that they performed as great as The Damned did.